Angel Fire Ski Vacation Guide

Just a half-hour drive from Taos, you’ll find the 210 inches of amazing bone dry powder. Angel Fire is one of the nation’s premier family resorts with as many of the runs set up to be fairly easy and safe. Keep in mind, if you have an aversion to snowboarders this may be a bit of a detraction for you, as Angel Fire is immensely popular with the boarding crowd, as the nearby Taos Ski Resort does not allow snowboarding.

Ski Levels

Beginners will want to head for the bunny hill of Exhibition and Valley or go for a touch more challenge over at Bodacious, Headin’ Home, Hallelujah, La Bajada or Highway. When intermediates are ready to really challenge your skiing skills to the max, this resort is renowned for such intermediate to advanced runs as Prospector, Jasper’s, Arriba, Mother Lode, Hell’s Bells, Hully Gully, Baa-da-bing, Fat City, and Fire Escape. The choice is not as wide for the expert skiers, but some interesting challenges can be found on Nitro and Detonator.

When you want to try out some artificial features, just head to one of two terrain parks. Lowrider Park is the park of choice for the beginners and children with fairly rollers, short rails, funboxes, and jumps. Liberation Park where the advanced skiers with a series of experts only hits, rails, table tops,funboxes, and jumps. You can also test your mettle against the one and only halfpipe in the entire state. Angel Fire’s superb ski school has a great range of courses for skiers of every age and skill level, from small children to advanced adult skiers.

Après Ski

Check out Aldo’s Cafe and Cantina for some wonderful bistro all’Italiana, Branding Iron for tasty breakfasts, and Zebadiah’s is an excellent family restaurant. The Summit Haus serves up yummy grilled burgers and brats or take the kids over to the Pizza Stop. There is a somewhat limited array of dining facilities near the mountain, so if you really want to find some superlative off the slopes meals, there are some of the really interesting spots a few miles away from the mountain. You can drive seven miles away to Eagle Nest or take the fifteen mile drive to Taos, and then you’ll be overwhelmed by the choices of great restaurants and recreational opportunities.

The Angel Fire area is set in the Carson National Forest which is an incredible and wide-ranging area to explore during any season, but it is especially beautiful during the wintertime. One of the greatest and most unique attractions in the region are the ancient pre-Columbian Native American pueblos in the area, which will give you an insight into the ways of life of the original inhabitants of this state.

Angel Fire Snowboard Vacation Guide

Rider’s Guide

A great New Mexico destination and playland with a total of seven lifts, comprising of two carpet, three double chairs and two high-speed quads. Choose from 70 trails, where you can snowboard on their longest run of 16,900 feet atop 210 inches of powder. Their trails are rated 26 percent for beginners, 50 percent for intermediates, and 24 percent for advanced.

Parks and Pipes

Angel has become a favorite among New Mexico snowboarders who want to show their support, as the nearby Taos Ski Valley maintains a ban on the slopes. That’s just one of the reasons why it is a great place for snowboarders to play and meet other snowboarders; the natural features are definitely worth the price of admission. Snowboarders who are looking for really fun challenges in the powder head directly to Hell’s Bells, Hully Gully, Baa-da-bing, Nitro, Detonator, Prospector, Jasper’s, Mother Lode, Fat City, Fire Escape, and Arriba. Two terrain parks for the snowboarding seekers of artificial thrills. Liberation Park is the expert’s choice with an awesome selection of serious spines, funboxes, rails, tabletops, and jumps and best of all, the only halfpipe in the state. Lowrider Park is the beginner’s park with fairly short rails, funboxes, rollers, and jumps.

Out of Bounds

The area is set in the Carson National Forest, which is a unique wilderness that really comes to life in the wintertime. Make sure to take some time out and visit some of the ancient pre-Columbian native American towns in the area to get a whole new perspective on the history of the nation. You can choose from an absolutely magnificent number of thrilling outdoor activities, such as hot air ballooning, ice skating, jeeping and off-road driving, snowcatting, cross-country skiing, rock and ice climbing, sledding, horseback riding, and snow tubing.

Hangout & Hookup

If you really want to find some action in the area, you’re going to need some wheels. The Lucky Shoe Saloon and Sports Bar is one of the places where a lot of Angel Fire snowboarders hang out, but it’s seven miles away from the mountain in Eagle Nest. If you’re headed Cimarron way, check out the Colfax Tavern for some good time and good brews. Of course, if you want to take the 15 mile drive to Taos, you’ll be swamped by the choices of phenomenal bars, great pubs, and some hot night clubs.

Contact